Barnfest in Shelburne shines light on agricultural skills

A spinning circle, pictured at a previous Barnfest in Shelburne. The annual event will be held Saturday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m.

A spinning circle, pictured at a previous Barnfest in Shelburne. The annual event will be held Saturday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m. File Photo

Accompanied by Tonya Jones, at left, and Rachelle Ackerman, at right, Alden tries his hand at weaving during a previous Barnfest in Shelburne. The annual event will be held Saturday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m.

Accompanied by Tonya Jones, at left, and Rachelle Ackerman, at right, Alden tries his hand at weaving during a previous Barnfest in Shelburne. The annual event will be held Saturday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m. File Photo

Staff Report

Published: 10-02-2024 11:42 AM

SHELBURNE — Learn some tricks of traditional trades at Fabric of Life’s annual agricultural skills fair, Barnfest, on Saturday, Oct. 5.

Fabric of Life, at 80 Bassett Road, is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and passing on traditional agricultural skills. According to the Fabric of Life website, Barnfest is the organization’s biggest community event of the year.

Beginning at 1 p.m., there will be live demonstrations, interactive workshops, raffles and musical entertainment. There will also be a community supper at 5 p.m., with food donated by local farms.

Guests can see how historical trades were completed through demonstrations of bobbin lace making, shoe making, glassblowing, rope making, horseshoe forging, spinning, weaving and more. With various workshops scheduled, guests will also be able to try their hand at fiddling, biodynamic gardening, tool sharpening and more.

Contributing to fun for all ages, there will be children’s crafts and activities, face painting and animal guests. The Amherst-based TNMT Wellness Center will bring a bearded dragon, a hedgehog, a tegu, a sulcata tortoise and a milk snake. There will also be Icelandic sheep shearing and herding dog demonstrations.

The event is free to attend. For more details and to see the full schedule of demonstrations, visit fabric-of-life.org.